A study of the thermal decomposition of ammonium nitrate using a gas chromatographic technique

The thermal decomposition of ammonium nitrate and associated mixtures in the range 170 to 200 °C has been studied by measuring the rate of evolution of nitrous oxide using a flow system in conjunction with a gas chromatograph enabling measurements to be made at temperatures of practical importance not covered in most previous investigations. The rate constant calculated from the data for pure ammonium nitrate was compared with the values of other workers. The effects of water and of monoammonium phosphate on the decomposition rate were studied. The effect of several metal ions on the decomposition rate was also studied, but no clear pattern emerged from the results.